


Do It For the Band

by Woodrokiro



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/F, F/M, band au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:02:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26590339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Woodrokiro/pseuds/Woodrokiro
Summary: When Tatsuki said she wanted their sophomore album to be the next "Rumours," this is NOT what she meant. Band AU.
Relationships: Arisawa Tatsuki/Inoue Orihime, Kuchiki Rukia/Kurosaki Ichigo
Comments: 12
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

Did Tatsuki once say she wanted her band’s sophomore album to be the Japanese version of Fleetwood Mac’s _Rumours_? Sure. Guilty as charged.

… Did that mean she thought that would include the same chaotic drama of her favorite album? She should’ve… But no. No, she did not.

If she knew what hell was to come, she would very much have preferred they stayed an insignificant, dimly lit coffee shop band to  _ this _ . She is this close to running away to a wedding cover band, because this is more excruciating than any cheesy rendition of “You’re the Inspiration” can get.

Chad and Tatsuki are silent as they listen to the track, watching as Ichigo’s jaw tick and his face flush as Rukia’s high notes soar through the studio.

It’s… A really good song, to be sure.

_ Oh you got stars in your eyes, baby _

_ If you think we could work _

_ I can’t follow your galaxies _

_ Can’t fall for your smirk _

_ Not this time, not this time… _

It’s about broken promises. It’s about not believing someone you love, even if they love you, that it’s gonna work out.

It is very clearly about Ichigo Kurosaki.

Tatsuki shifts her gaze from Ichigo’s reddening face over to the one person he’s looking at…. Rukia. The petite vocalist lifts her chin at his glare, staring straight back with piercing violet eyes.

Tatsuki just wishes they would make out already.

\--

The Karakura Soul Society had innocent beginnings… Or: as innocent as an Alt Rock band can be.

Ichigo, Tatsuki, and Chad always kinda knew they wanted to get into music—well, Ichigo and Tatsuki talked about wanting to get into music, while Chad was the one who actually knew how to play a bass guitar—and the two friends finally learned when they were around fourteen. Tatsuki knew she was drums (the choreographed chaos of it was electrifying, and besides… Girls that played drums were hot) and Ichigo figured he’d be lead vocals and guitar.

Ichigo could sing, for damn sure: a low, gravelly tone that could melt girls’ hearts, even if he himself was as obtuse as a rectangle around women.

_ But what I really like to do _ , he slurred to her in his garage, Kirin in hand because the idiot was a total lightweight— _ is write _ .

And he really did write some incredible songs--at the very least, his lyrics had potential. It started with some weird Shakespearean metaphors and bad rhymes, but everything had a good start that Chad could find a beat for. He only got better, and the coffee shop and dive bar gigs were really receptive, and then the call came from some industry weirdo named Urahara that he was interested in managing their band and well… Things were going  _ good. _

That is: until Urahara suggested they get a keyboardist to double as another vocalist.

_ A female keyboardist _ , he noted, eyes dark under his green and white striped fedora,  _ would be perfect for your team. I know just the one _ .

And, yeah, the way he said it was kind of creeptastic… But he  _ did  _ have a point. As great as Ichigo’s voice was, it was missing the harmony a softer, more feminine could contribute.

\--

Convincing Ichigo to at least let the girl audition for them was like pulling a damn tooth.

“I don’t see why we  _ need _ another person,” he grumbled, leaning his chair back with both feet on the café table. The band was waiting on the girl to arrive at this empty coffee shop, with a lone piano waiting for its player on the stage. “We’ve already got a groove going between the three of us. Why do we need another? When we need a keyboardist can’t we just… I don’t know. Ask for one?”

“Number one: for the love of God and our careers, don’t ever say ‘groove’ again. Number two: stop tipping your chair like that—”she slams her hand up on the seat, causing his chair to throw him upright. It may or may not give her a sadistic thrill when he yelps. “Number three: we need a keyboardist. Period. We can’t just conjure one up with a poof that’s gonna work well for us unless they’re regularly  _ with _ us. Number four: we could use a female vocalist. We’re an alt rock band. Get over it.”

He scowls at her, but she sips her coffee nonplussed. She’s known him since they both were seven years old; she’s not about to let him throw one of his tantrums now.

From the corner of her eye, she sees him turn to their bassist. “Chad, what do you—”

“Don’t even try, Chad agrees with me n’ Urahara.”

Chad shrugs helplessly and Ichigo rolls his eyes. “Dunno why you guys are even so hard pressed to get this chick. For all we know it’s Urahara combining his artists for gimmick. it’s not even like we know whether she’s  _ good _ —”

“I’ve been doing this a year, and I’ve been signed with Urahara longer, so…. Yeah. I suppose I’d call myself good. Maybe better than you.”

The whole team turns behind them to look where the soft voice is calling from the cafe’s swing door.

_ She looks like an eighth grader _ , Tatsuki thinks before she looks a little harder at the form beneath the baby blue dress and realizes—ah, no. Just short. Her raven hair curls prettily into two low pigtails, and lightly shadowed violet eyes look them each up and down with pursed, pink lips.

She’s cute, for sure.

… But “cute” is definitely not their band’s vibe.

“You’re late,” her bandmate beside her scoffs—at whether he’s thinking the same thing she is or he’s embarrassed to be overheard bitching, she’s not sure.

“I’m not—oh, look! Urahara set up the exact piano I asked for. That’s wonderful.” She floats past them to the stage area, beginning to the fiddle with the said instrument’s keys. “He can be an absolute idiotic pain sometimes, a great manager at others… I’m sure you all know what that’s like. And no I’m not late: on the contrary, I was early. I didn’t see you all enter until about five minutes ago, so I figured I’d wait it out at the park across the street so you could all get settled… So technically:  _ you’re _ the ones who are late.”

Ichigo grits his teeth, raps his knuckles annoyed on the table. Tatsuki grins. She may not know whether the girl’s a good fit for them, but hey—she’s got guts.

“Soo… What do you got for us?” Tatsuki asks.

The girl says she’s got an original—a ballad called _For Hisana_ , if they don’t mind. The bandmates agree that they don’t.

Ichigo clears his throat stubbornly, anyway.

“Sure, but just a heads up: we’re looking more for a keyboardist… Piano is nice ‘n all, but that’s not really our style.”

“I do both. I’ve just been trained in piano first so… It’s a habit, auditioning with it and all. I can show you what I can do with a keyboard anytime after, if you’re impressed enough with this.”

“…All right.” Ichigo shrugs. “Show us what you got then, pianist.”

“My name’s not ‘Pianist.’” She looks straight at Ichigo, before lowering them back to her keys, and Tatsuki strangely feels like she’s just intruded on something. “It’s Rukia. Rukia Kuchiki.”

Her fingers hit the keys and she starts singing.

She’s… Really good, in a way that the drummer can’t quite describe. Her voice is like a mix between Regina Spektor and Joni Mitchell—all folksy, high notes and yeah that sounds super gimmicky and lame and yeah no definitely  _ not  _ their vibe—

But maybe that’s also why she’d be kind of brilliant.

And the way she plays that piano…

Everyone in rock n’ roll will tell you that a good musician makes love to their instrument, and while she’s always thought the metaphor grimy, Tatsuki knows what they mean. They need to  _ know _ the ins and outs of whatever they’re playing, for the instrument to be a second limb—for their expressions to be in complete bliss, ecstasy as they play.

Rukia’s face… It’s not quite so  _ explicit _ as all that. But the way her eyes are dreamy and half-closed, how she bobs her head ever so softly to the heartbreaking beat, her mouth closing delicately over warbly vowels… Sure, with a little more vocal work she could be better, but all in all: she’s wonderful.

Tatsuki turns to Ichigo, about to ask if he’s thinking what she’s thinking but stops dead at his expression.

He’s watching her so… Intensely. His jaw—always so sharp, so tight and ready to grimace—has softened, and his eyes are locked onto this petite woman in a way Tatsuki has literally never,  _ ever _ seen him look at a woman before.

He is captivated with Rukia Kuchiki, and she can’t decide whether she’s happy for her friend or panicked for what this means for the band because fucking  _ yikes _ .

\--

He hums and haws after Rukia leaves, nitpicks when they meet alone with Urahara about how some of her keys were clunky, she needs more vocal training, blah blah blah.

But when the vote is cast, he agrees she needs to be on the team.

And  _ that _ , Tatsuki pinpoints, is when the beginning of the end started.


	2. Chapter 2

The times that the band gets together are--pardon her French--a goddamn nightmare. 

As a general rule, they always do a two hour practice before any gig in someone’s garage before heading out to the venue. It gets them the warm up they desperately need, and prevents any weird sync ups the band might have during their performance.

Before Rukia came along, it used to be really productive.

But now… 

“Would you stop clunking your keys in the middle of that bridge? I’m trying to hear Tatsuki’s drums so I can sing on the beat!”

“Well if you’d stop scream-singing over my vocals, maybe you’d  _ hear  _ the beat!”   
“Are you calling me off-key?!”

“Well you definitely aren’t  _ on _ , idiot!”

Now Tatsuki needs a drink as soon as she hits the club they’re performing at.

_ Well this is gonna fucking suck _ , she thinks as she sips her drink, glumly watching the two vocalists continue to bicker setting up their equipment.

It’ll be a disaster, she’s sure of it. Never will a set go down into flames faster. Urahara will ghost their calls, Chad will decide he’s better suited for the tropics, and Tatsuki will end up on the street collecting recyclables for money. Goodbye, glamorous hot-drummer life. 

All thanks to her idiot best friend and this manic pixie dream girl. 

* * *

And yet… 

Time and time again: she’s wrong. 

They kill the set, sell a bunch of merch and by the end of the night they have 100-200 new followers on Instagram and Twitter. 

Best of all: there’s not a single hiccup between Ichigo and Rukia during these performances. From the audience’s perspective, it’s as if they’ve been performing together for  _ years  _ they’re so in sync, so in tune with each other both vocally and performance-wise.

In fact…

“Are your vocalists dating?” An audience member approaches Tatsuki at the bar after one particular performance. This is about their fifth or sixth gig since Rukia joined, and Tatsuki is just beginning to think that maybe the offstage chaos is just gonna be a ritual to ensure a badass set. 

She shakes her head. “Nah, not a chance. They’re just… Well. Colleagues at best.”

It’s not the first time she and Chad have been asked this, and she doubts it’ll be the last. Ichigo and Rukia’s chemistry onstage was incredible if you didn’t know how much they hated each other just two hours earlier. You could mistake it as sexual, and Tatsuki’s  _ sure  _ Ichigo has a masochistic crush on their petite keyboardist--but nothing that he’d act upon.

Usually upon her answer, the guys will grunt and nod, and the girls will sigh out a pretty “that’s a shame,” before moseying off. 

But this guy shrugs, and she follows his gaze over to the two chatting with some patrons separately, a couple feet apart. “Could’ve sworn they were. But… Maybe it’s for the best for ya’ll, you know? You wouldn’t want it getting too personal n’ cozy between the two of them…. And then they break up and you have a Fleetwood Mac situation on your hands.”

Tatsuki feels a twinge of feral overprotectiveness for her band and is about to lash out  _ Fleetwood Mac are you kidding me dude? You think we’re back in the 70’s and can’t be civil??  _ (even though it would turn out later that she’d think the same thing, so a double fuck you to that guy), but he turns around and saunters off before she can say anything. 

She snorts and goes back to ordering a snack from the cute barmaid, mentally shaking her head.

The two of  _ them _ ?  _ Dating _ ? Like she said: not a chance. 

* * *

Just a couple days after that, Urahara approaches them with a deal from a record company and Tatsuki is stoked out of her damn mind. Judging from everyone’s wide eyed stare at the flimsy paperwork in his hand, she knows she’s not the only one. 

“So here’s the deal: it’s my job to go over all the legal details with you all. What you’ll be paid upfront, what percentage you can expect from sales, our budgeting when it comes to touring, etcetera. Cool stuff. Everyone’s getting pretty excited about you guys, so I don’t think we’ll have to lowball a deal.”

Everyone agrees: all of them know the following they’ve gathered, and it was no small number. They were sure they were in a decent place to negotiate a deal for their freshman album. 

“And now… Let’s discuss what we can offer as incentive. What’s a song of yours that could seal the deal?”

Suddenly all feelings of mutual agreement are gone. Tatsuki and Chad exchange a  _ look  _ as their bandmates both inhale.

“Urahara I think you’ll find my ‘ _ In the Ice _ ’ song to be worthy of performing for them--”

“Pffft yeah right, ‘ _ Nice Vibe _ ’ is waaay better--”

“Oh you’re  _ so _ right, Ichigo, that’s a  _ far  _ better choice for the company  _ if they like the sound of someone heavy-breathing into the mic for a full ten seconds. _ ”

“That’s an artistic choice, not like you know anything about art you fucking brat!”

“What did you say, fool?!”

* * *

Urahara decides on two songs, actually: one that Chad wrote, and an old tune of Ichigo’s that Rukia had Frankenstein-ed some lyrics to. It was enough to satisfy both of them, and also bring Chad’s impressive (albeit rare) work forward too.

More importantly: it got them the deal.

* * *

“ _ Obviously _ I’m going to be writing most of the album.” Ichigo huffs, and Rukia is just about to object when Tatsuki clears her throat. 

“No. No you’re not. Urahara, Chad and I have already talked about it, and I’ve been appointed to tell you how this is all gonna go down.”

Ichigo turns wide-eyed to Chad, who shrugs. “Chad, you--?!”

“Keep your panties on n’ shut up, Kurosaki. And stop looking so smug, Rukia.” She swivels her head to the shorter woman, who’s smirking. 

“No one person is gonna write the songs. We’re a team, damn it, and it’s time we start acting like one. We’ve got a record deal now, enough of the high school shit of fighting over whose stuff will be played and whose won’t. Here’s how we’re gonna do this: I’m not writing anything--. yeah yeah, hold your applause assholes. I won’t be writing anything, but you’re damn sure I’ll be working hard on making some kickass beats for every song. I’m not a good writer, but I’m good at what I do. Chad, you said you’ve got another song you wanna work out. That sounds great. We’ll look at the one you performed for the company and this one when things are more cemented and compare… Or add both, depending on how this next bit goes. As for _you two_ children, listen carefully. We’re on a time constraint--they want us to be in the studio, ready to record in a month. A _month_. None of us have time for your bickering over whose song deserves to be on what track, who sings the chorus and who sings the lead, whatever. It’s been cute, but this is our shot and I’m not gonna have either of you fuck it up.” She pauses to let it sink in. “Love you both, but no.”

Ichigo scowls, but Rukia clears her throat delicately. “You’re right, Tatsuki. We don’t have time to be playing silly games. We can  _ all _ agree on that.” She shoots Ichigo a pointed look, who’s about to snap back before Tatsuki butts in again.

“So here’s what we’re gonna do. You guys are the best songwriters, no doubt about it. So you will write the songs… Together. Make your own time to get together, because Chad and I have enough to do. If you wanna go over previous songs you wrote, then it has to have the approval of the other person to at least be  _ presented  _ to us. If it’s good enough for the two of you though... It’ll probably be good enough for us. Otherwise, write a whole new song that both can agree on. No bullshit allowed here, just good fucking music. Is that a deal?” 

Ichigo huffs and puffs and definitely wants to bitch about it, but he agrees. Rukia nods too, but Tatsuki doubts she’s much happier about it. 

When the meeting is over and Ichigo and Chad have already left, Rukia approaches Tatsuki.

“I don’t ever want to be a bother. I know how close you all are, I’ve gathered a bit from Ichigo,” Rukia starts babbling, and Tatsuki is a bit shocked--she had no idea Ichigo and Rukia knew  _ anything _ about each other. “I’m sorry if I’ve--look, you know it’s not easy--Ichigo and I clash but--what I’m--thank you. For what you said about ‘loving us both,’ and all that. Sometimes I want to tear  _ his _ head off, but I enjoy working with you and Chad. Thank you for accepting me as part of this band.”

“Oh, stop. You’ve been one of us since you joined. Even Ichigo voted you in.” Tatsuki pats Rukia’s shoulder. “It’s a challenge working with him for sure… But he’s talented, and  _ you’re _ talented. We just gotta make it work out.”

“Absolutely, I agree.” Rukia is silent for a bit as Tatsuki returns to packing up her stuff, then hesitantly she hears: ”Ichigo voted me in?”

And when Tatsuki turns around to confirm it, she swears she sees the smallest smile on Rukia’s face.


	3. Chapter 3

Here’s the thing: Ichigo is not an asshole. 

He’s not a misogynist, he doesn’t believe in that men-are-better-than-women bullshit--and that includes the topic of music. Yeah, he loves Jim Morrison and David Bowie and Bob Dylan something fierce--but he’s also a sucker for Nina Simone and Stevie Nicks, for Janis Joplin and Joni Mitchell. Does he hide a tear or two when _A Case of You_ comes onto his “For Mom” Spotify playlist? 

None of your damn business. (But yes.)

And maybe this is all to over-explain: he doesn’t have a problem with women challenging him. Look no further than Tatsuki for proof.

… He just has an issue with _Rukia_ challenging him.

And--okay--look. She’s excellent. The stuff that she’s written is so well-crafted it makes his teeth grind in envy, and what she can do with the piano is incredible. She’s talented, she’s brave, she knows a good melody when she hears one, she’s got an electric stage presence, not to mention she’s insanely _pretty_ \--

… Talented. She’s insanely pretty talented. Did he already say that? 

But all of that does not give her the right to drive him this up the wall. 

“I’m telling you,” she repeats coolly, so slowly like she’s explaining something to a child, “I’m telling you, those bars do _not_ work here. It clashes with the lyrics--here, do it again on your guitar, I’ll sing. It sounds clunky.” 

“That’s the point! It’s not supposed to be clean!” He runs his hand roughly through his hair, but grabs the guitar from beside him anyway. They’re sitting on the ground in his garage, an hour or so before practice with the rest of the band. 

They’ve been at this for a week already, and they’ve had a collective collaboration of…. One. One song that was Rukia’s original creation, and it was like pulling damn teeth to make his own edits. With a song from Chad, that leaves two for their album, and… Six more to go. 

Six more to go when they’ve only got three weeks left to make them. 

“I understand you weren’t _classically trained_ like I was--”

“Thank _God_ for that, boring shit isn’t my style--”

“How dare you!”

“All right, all right! Look I’m sorry.” He puts his hands up defensively as she huffs, and he is sorry. Kind of. He might enjoy riling her up as much as she does him, but that’s beside the point. 

“What I mean is…. I chose these bars with the lyrics _because_ it’s messy. Hear me out: it’s a heartbreak song. Right? This important person in this kid’s life died, right? And he’s trying to get through it. He’s trying to comprehend how something so fucked can happen to the best person he’s known, and--he’s struggling. To understand, to go through his life the same way, whatever. And it’s beyond him. So… This bridge is his having these overwhelming emotions, and stumbling through each individual thought because nothing makes sense. So… It’s not supposed to sound pretty, if that makes sense? Like, the point of the song is it sounds good, just not in a traditional way. Because that’s doing an injustice, to make it sound nice.” 

She’s staring at him with an unreadable expression, and Ichigo tries to rewind and remember if he said anything about the song being about his mom’s death. He didn’t--but then he realizes he may as well have. 

He clears his throat, looks down and plucks a couple of chords on the guitar to distract himself. “Okay, fine. It’s stupid, let’s just move on to--”

“The line ‘ _What distracts us from losing someone when they were everything_?’ That’s good. I like that a lot. What if you expanded on that, in the bridge?”

“... You got any ideas for that?”

“No. It’s your song, your experience. You do what you want with it.” She shrugs, and rifles through the rest of her notes. He realizes he should probably say something, something like “That’s it?” or “When my mom died I played her favorite album, Joni Mitchell's _Blue_ every day for a whole year,” but he’s stumped. 

“... Rukia--”

“Just give me the edits and I’ll tell you everything you did wrong.” Her eyes glint, and he rolls his own.

“Yeah yeah, now let’s see what _you’ve_ got, Mozart.”

* * *

Tatsuki doesn’t know what they’ve been up to for the past three weeks, but whatever’s been going on: it’s working.

The first week was a rough start, when all the vocalists could present her and Chad was a song that--while good--was… One song. Tatsuki thought she was gonna have an aneurism, Rukia looked down sheepishly, Ichigo tried to argue back but looked guilty anyway, and Chad sipped his tea. 

“You’re not worried?!” She spun around to her bassist while the lead singers sauntered off, thoroughly chastened. “We’re about to be out of jobs because of those two, how can you just sit there drinking _tea_?”

Chad shrugged. “No, I’m not really worried. Actually, I think your plan is working a lot better than you think it is.”

She’s about to go off on Chad. _Plan? What plan? You’d think I was playing some cupid matchmaker, not maintaining our record deal the way you say that!_

But she took one good look at him and sighs. Fighting with Chad isn’t really a fight. 

Especially when she’s proved yet again that he’s always right. 

The two have just acoustically performed all seven songs that they’ve created, topped off at the end with a song called _Sun and Moon_ that’s _bound_ to be their first single, no question about it. It’s a duet about falling in love with someone who challenges you, and while Tatsuki can easily pinpoint the lyrics Ichigo wrote for it--wow. Somehow in just three weeks the quality of his writing has gotten exponentially better, and she can’t help but feel proud of him. 

His strong, gravelly voice with Rukia’s delicate warble ends the last note with a haunting harmony, and the others of the team--Tatsuki, Chad, and Urahara--are silent until Urahara lets out a low whistle. 

“Well shit.” He adjusts his hat, chuckling. “I think we’ve got an album, team.”

Tatsuki grins and agrees. 

* * *

Besides the occasional scuffles, Ichigo and Rukia are both rather civilized in the recording room. No storm-outs, no stony silence as they all tune up. The process is….Cordial?

 _In fact_ , Tatsuki thinks as she watches them, heads together with the producer, sharing a pair of headphones, _If I didn’t know better, I’d say they’re…_

She doesn’t hear the conversation, but Ichigo’s turned to Rukia and says something with a snide sideways smirk, and Rukia slaps the back of her hand to his belly with a hard _THWAP_. Ichigo doubles over, but he’s laughing and she’s shaking her head but she’s smiling and--

Well shit.

The drummer doesn’t have much time to panic about this, though, as just a few seconds later the two ask if everyone’s ready to record the next song.She breathes in, breathes out. _Soul Vibes_ really is shaping up to be an awesome album, at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not me unable to resist writing at least SOMETHING from Ichigo's POV!!
> 
> I can't resist. The format is uhhhhh not gonna have a logic and I'm just gonna have to accept that.


	4. Chapter 4

Rukia’s sure they’re not crossing any lines.

… Pretty sure.

She’s never been in a band like this before--or, well. A band, period. And from the movies she’s watched, the musician biographies she’s read and the behind-the-album documentaries she’s seen she imagines her group’s closeness is normal. Grabbing a tea and writing in a coffee shop with Chad, meeting up with Tatsuki at bars and picking out cute girls the drummer might like--these sort of things are normal. They’re her friends, after all. 

And she doesn’t do much different with Ichigo. It just… Feels different.

Especially when they start spending time together _after_ recording sessions. 

They don’t even do anything, really. Mostly just put on a record at Ichigo’s place and talk about their favorite albums. Sometimes they’ll watch a movie together: Rukia on one far end of his tattered, second-hand couch, curled into the arm while Ichigo tries to scrounge something up for dinner in the kitchen behind her. 

And… Okay, she’s fallen asleep there. A couple times. _But in a completely platonic way_ . She’ll wake up on his couch with a blanket over her, and Ichigo will walk in and nag at her for sinking the cushions of his couch and she’ll groggily snap back that maybe he should get a _new_ couch then--

She’s stayed late there so often that Ichigo bought her a toothbrush to keep in the bathroom (“ _I can smell your morning breath all the way from the bedroom_ ”), but it’s fine because it is! So! Platonic!!!

They’re friends. They’re _friends_. 

She’s (pretty) sure of it. 

It’s the end of the recording sessions when they go to her place because she had forgotten the champagne she meant to bring for celebrating their last day. The recording studio happened to be only a few blocks away, but he insisted on walking back with her to grab them. 

(“ _Shut up and let me be a gentleman_ ” _he had grumbled, and Rukia tries to ignore Tatsuki’s stare piercing them both_ ). 

They had just finished climbing the six stories in her apartment building when she spies the roses at her door. 

He scoffs. “Who are those from? Yourself?” 

She rolls her eyes, picking up the flowers to read the card attached. “Good one, idiot. No. My brother.” 

“Byakuya? What the hell does he want?” 

She’s surprised he remembers his name; then again, she supposes she’s mentioned him in passing enough times. 

It’s funny: the little details they know about each other by now. 

“Don’t talk about him so crudely. I told him about the album awhile ago.”

“Yeah, and you said he never responded.” He waits respectfully in the hallway as she unlocks her door. She immediately starts shuffling through her studio in an attempt to find a vase. “I don’t get why you still talk to him. The guy kicks you out of the house, takes away your allowance you depend on--just because he doesn’t want you to do music? The thing he arranged for you to have lessons for in the first place?”

“You’re oversimplifying it.” She rummages through her cupboards. “He wanted me to go to college for a career--I told him I didn’t want to. I said I wanted to be a musician. He said that was fine, I was a young woman who could make her own decisions… And as such, I’d need to do it on my own. I agreed. I don’t want anybody’s money, and he’s helped me enough as it is.”

“... He should still support you--”

“He does. In his own way.” Her eyes light up at what she’s been looking for: the glass beaker for a French press that broke on her a couple weeks ago. She lifts it with one hand and the roses in the other, a silent question toward him. At Ichigo’s shrug/nod combo, she starts filling the beaker with tap water. “Maybe he doesn’t vocally support it. The creative life is scary. You know that. _Technically_ you wouldn’t want your sisters as starving musicians either, right? But a couple months before I met up with you guys, I was behind on my rent. One day, right before I was sure I was going to get kicked out: my landlord says it was all paid for. Just like that. And I’ve sworn every day, up and down, that my brother’s never going to need to do that for me ever again.”

“He should _want_ to do that for you.”

“I think he does. But I want to make my own way, and he knows that. These flowers are more than kind.” She steps back and assesses her flower arrangement in the beaker, nodding once. Good enough. 

He’s uncharacteristically quiet as she grabs the two bottles from her fridge and returns back to the hallway. She’s attempting to lock her front door with the bottles in one arm and keys in the other when he snorts, tapping her wine-carrying arm.

“Here, I’ll take ‘em.” Begrudgingly, she hands them over. “You try to do too much by yourself.” 

“Yes, because I have to.” She focuses her attention back on the lock (the door could be rather tricky) when she feels him nudge her arm again. 

“No. You really don’t.” She looks back and up at him and suddenly for the first time they feel very, _very_ close. “Look I don’t--the fact that your brother doesn’t know what a fucking phenominal talent you have astounds me. But you have people now. You have _me_.”

Time completely stops as they stare at each other. Rukia feels frozen in place--but Ichigo is… Well. He looks like he’s only sort of embarrassed at own sentiment, judging from the faint blush on his cheeks--but mostly he seems sure of himself, confident and fearless and _golden._

 _That_ is Ichigo, she realizes. She’s really never met anyone like him. 

She’ll never know what either of them were about to do when suddenly her neighbor’s door swings open behind him. 

The sound jolts them both, and her elderly neighbor smiles apologetically. She waves, and when she looks back at him Ichigo is looking down at his shoes, clearing his throat. 

“Hurry up ‘n lock the door. The others are waiting for us--especially Tatsuki. You know how stoked she was when you told her about the champagne.” 

Rukia nods and tries to shake the odd feeling that an opportunity was just missed. 

* * *

They’re getting a tour.

Tatsuki is in euphorics. _They’re getting a fucking tour_. 

Urahara says they’re starting small--mostly because the label wants to test the waters on them. Just four cities, fronting for a rock band called _Espada_ . They’re all kind of douchey assholes but it doesn’t even matter. She _knows_ her band is better, and in just a few years they’ll be begging to front for _Karakura Soul Society_. 

Still, even though it’s a small tour Tatsuki manages to sweet talk Urahara into hiring her good friend as their stage manager. “We _need_ somebody to keep us organized back there. Help us sound check and everything, you know? And frankly, Urahara… You’re a mess.”

… It becomes clear to the team within the first ten minutes of her employment that Orihime Inoue is also, as it happens, a disaster--but she’s bubbly and ambitious and works hard and Tatsuki may be not-so-secretly in love with her so of _course_ everyone loves her immediately, too.

Once they’re on the road, the whole tour itself is kind of a blur. Their first city is… Decent. _They_ sound great, but there’s some tech issues that Orihime apologizes profusely for. Grimmjow, the lead singer of _Espada_ says something snide about “fucking yuppies” and Ichigo and Tatsuki both have to be held back from absolutely _pulvarizing_ the cocky motherfucker--but yeah it’s decent.

At least, Urahara points out, it adds a bit of a competitive edge between the two bands. 

He’s right. The next couple cities they absolutely kill it.

With Chad’s shredding it on his base and Tatsuki feeling like a God at her drums--the two of them alone would be something to contend with. 

But combined with Ichigo and Rukia…

Tatsuki doesn’t know what’s going on between them, and frankly: she doesn’t care anymore. She’s decided it’s none of her business whether her best friend is getting his brains screwed out or if they really are “just friends,” as Rukia insists. 

What matters is what’s going right here, right in the performance.

As usual, they are so in sync with each other it’s scary--but now, there’s emotion too. There’s an electric energy when they sing the chorus to _Fullbringer_ , a deep melancholy when they harmonize on _Masaki_ . The band is only able to perform about five of their songs, but they’ve arranged the order so the audience gets to go through a journey--and it all ends on _Sun and Moon_.

It’s easily their best crowd pleaser, and for good reason. 

It sounds cheesy, but there is such an upbeat _joy_ to the song that even scowl-loving Ichigo grins during its entirety, and Rukia--always so poised--bounces at her keyboard, bopping her head to the beat. The bridge is absolutely wild, and the whole thing moves so fast that Tatsuki is going harder at her drums than she ever has. It was a bitch to practice, but man. _Man_ does it it fucking end a show. 

At the end of _Espada_ ’s last show, the crowd demands an encore… From their front band. 

“Eat shit,” Grimmjow hisses as they unexpectedly make their way back to the stage, and Tatsuki knows for an asshole like him to be this pissed: it’s a compliment.

* * *

They’re feeling so pumped about the whole tour that at the end of that encore, even _Chad_ agrees to go out to a nearby pub to celebrate.

The group is on Cloud 9 as they float into the semi-crowded bar, and Tatsuki feels even more of a high when some of the patrons--fresh from the show--cheer as they enter. A guy orders the band shots, and from that point on things get… Uh. Kind of blurry.

Chad does manage to escape early, but not before she challenges him to a game of who can drink a pint faster. Orihime glows next to her as she sips her own fruity cocktail, cheering Tatsuki on in a way that makes her feel _powerful_ even when she loses. Occasionally she catches her friend glancing over at Ichigo with a soft smile that Tatsuki… Doesn’t really want to notice right now. She’s having such a good time, so for what?

Urahara floats, chuckling behind his fan about this and that--leading to a brief debate between Ichigo and Tatsuki whether he’s high, drunk, or both. Rukia pops up out of nowhere, offering a convincing argument of: neither. Urahara is just fucking batshit. 

Ichigo and Tatsuki stare at the unexpected profanity.

“What?” Rukia’s face is flushed, and she tries (unsuccessfully) to look like she has the decency to be embarrassed. Suddenly, she grins toothily, grabbing Ichigo’s hand and dragging him to the bar corner’s jukebox. “C’mon, idiot. You’re helping me pick out a song.” 

Tatsuki doesn’t pay much more attention to the two after that--she’s too busy getting another drink, getting Orihime another drink, seeing if she can get Urahara to confess he’s committed at least one felony in his lifetime, and if so which one--but she happens to overhear their conversation at one point when they’re getting drinks.

“... Swift is a _stellar_ songwriter, Kurosaki. I’m telling you--”

“Come oooooon--”

“No, you-- _you_ come on, Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki.” Rukia pokes her finger at Ichigo’s chest, and Tatsuki sees him failing to hide a smile. “She had a… Taylor has _iffy_ periods, of course she does. But have you… Have you even _listened_ to the lyrics of _Blank Space_?

“Whassat?” 

“You’ve _heard_ that song, don’t you--don’t you even _start_ \--”

Tatsuki rolls her eyes and takes her leave. Listening to drunk straight people flirt is excruciating. 

Still: whether it’s from the warm buzz of alcohol or the general high of the good night or her just loving her friends… She’s happy for them. 

When she leaves, _Blank Space_ is blaring from the jukebox. She looks back to see Rukia and Ichigo _intimately_ close. Rukia is beaming up at him, shouting over the music that she can only imagine is the song lyrics. Ichigo’s body is curved toward her, watching and bobbing his head with a soft smile. 

_Good for them_ , Tatsuki thinks dreamily before immediately finding a dumpster to throw up in. 


End file.
